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Duties and Desires: Part 1
Commander Barrie always made it clear how he found the other Insurrectionists in the Eridanus System to be problematic. They attracted attention to any other rebel group, hostile or not. But the UNSC never cared. To them, an Innie was an Innie. The Sanctuary was very well defended, but even it could not prevent the ships in orbit from launching a MAC strike down on them, if they felt like it. In the last major scrap with the UNSC, the Insurrectionists managed to hold their own…barely. But this time, it sounded severe. They were obviously in danger here. Felix had never known why the Insurrectionists hated them so much. From what he heard, the civilians lived their lives the same way as they did. There had been no enemy to fight other than pirates and smugglers. But he occasionally wondered what it would be like, to walk among them, as one of them… “Felix?” Tom asked, who was starting to feel a bit disconcerted. “Are you alright?” Felix snapped out of his reverie. He felt his thoughts drifting away, and slowly let go of his brother’s wrist. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m fine.” Felix walked into the administration building, followed by two of Barrie's armed guards. They escorted him into the Commander's room, and the latter was sitting calmly behind his desk. "Thank you, gentlemen," Barrie said. "Felix, please sit down. Close the door behind you." He did so, and sat on the chair across from the Commander. the guards stood by the door. "Now," Barrie said. "Felix Martel. I know your father. He's been very helpful from the moment he began working here. A better Tech Chief I couldn't have asked for." Felix nodded. "But we're here to talk about you. Dr Walker seems to hold great trust in you. And from what I saw last Monday at the medical facility, I can see why. I would like to ask you if you want to become my personal assistant. What with everything I have to take care of here at the Sanctuary, I can use a smart kid like you." Felix thought about it for a moment. "It would be an honour, sir. But what about Dr Walker?" Barrie waved a hand. "I'm not asking the doctor to give you up for my sake, but I would appreciate it if you could help. Why don't you ask him yourself? If he agrees, then our problem is solved. And if not, I'll respect his decision and you'll keep working there. "But you also have a say in this. What do you think? Do you want to help me?" Felix was silent. Finally, he said, "I'm not quite sure yet, sir. I'll have to think about it." "Very well," Barrie said, leaning back in his chair. "Now, is there something on your mind? I can see you were rather troubled when you walked in." "I...I'm worried about all of us, sir. The UNSC look like they're coming for something, or someone in the Insurrection here." The Commander frowned. "Yes, I heard about that. I will establish a meeting with their leader when they come, and perhaps we can make an arrangement. The Insurrectionists do make rather foolish decisions." Felix looked slightly doubtful, which Barrie noticed. "Don't worry, Felix. I'll make sure that no one, not even the UNSC, will be hurt in the meeting. I'll come back alive, you'll see." He laughed, then leaned forward again. "Do you intend to stay here, at the Sanctuary, your whole life?" He asked. This time, Felix responded immediately. "No, sir. I want to leave Eridanus II when I get the chance. The Sanctuary is a great home, but I'll want to find out more about the universe." "Well answered," Barrie said. "I once had the same thoughts, but fate bound me to looking after everyone here. But it was also a blessing, because I feel happy with where I am now. But I think you are meant to go elsewhere in your life..." the Commander's eyes became more distant and thoughtful. "I know you have great potential. I hope, Felix, that you will be the one to end this war between us and the UNSC. You are certainly capable of it." Felix was silent once again. He felt as if Barrie's words had marked him with something different. A feeling that he couldn't draw away from his statement. "I certainly hope so, sir," he finally said. "This conflict will become worse," Barrie said with a hint of sadness. "But you will save many lives, at the very least. I'm sure of it." Felix saw a woman being rushed into the medical facility by a group of doctors, and was laid onto a bed. He knew why, and hurried to fetch the usual supplies for assisting with childbirth. He pushed the cart next to the bed, and Dr Walker took some of the utensils. Felix followed his instructions and helped however he could. After a few tense hours, the chief surgeon finally wrapped the baby in a blanket and passed her gently to the lady. He turned away from her and signed a form enlisted with details. One of the doctors gave him the instructions. "Civilian. Her name's Sophia Dalason. Been rushed from Asphodel from work. Her husband's on his way from his job, busy as hell." Dr Walker signed his name, and laid the clipboard on a desk. "Right. He'll give the details when he gets here." He turned to the woman and gave a kind smile. "Congratulations, ma'am. What's her name?" Sophia was breathing erratically, but managed to smile back. "Amelia." "Just rest for now, Mrs Dalason. Your husband's coming to see you." Felix approached him. "Sir? Can I talk to you?" Dr Walker nodded. "Certainly, Felix." They walked out into the hallway, and the latter closed the door behind them. "What is it?" "Commander Barrie has asked me if I would be willing to assist him," Felix said. "It's very appealing, but I'm not sure if I should do it." "Felix," the chief surgeon said seriously. "Don't worry about us at the medical facility. If the Commander is giving you an opportunity like this, you should take it. It'll get you far. Trust me." He nodded slowly, but decided to put the thought aside for now as he saw a man walking through the door and towards Sophia, and they were talking softly. Felix took the cart back to the supply room and placed some more supplies onto it, he stopped it next to the bed, and Dr Walker said, "Please wait outside, Mr Dalason. She'll need some more injections to recover, and then we'll have to do some tests on Amelia before we let you go." After going home, Felix thought about Barrie's words, as well as Dr Walker's. He knew that his "promotion" from the Commander was a step up in his future, but couldn't help but feel that he was leaving something precious behind forever. He sighed. Maybe it was just one of many changes he would face in his life. He would just have to accept it. Felix was waiting in Barrie's office when the Commander came in, looking tired but pleased. "How did it go, sir?" the former asked. "Very well," Barrie said. "Their CO, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Watts, is very interested in our activities here at the Sanctuary. He's willing to hold off any threat from his troops. However, he will be monitoring the Insurrectionists whom have been causing Eridanus II so much trouble." Felix looked worried. "Do all his soldiers feel the same way, sir? Because word could get out, and the Marines could do something out of the Colonel's hands." "I know what I'm doing, Felix," Barrie said assuringly. "And we're not exactly a small force here. The UNSC might not be aware of it yet, but should they try to wipe us out, they'll find it a very difficult task." "There could still be lives lost, sir." "Perhaps. But remember, their intentions aren't to kill people, they want to disband the Insurrection. And from what I can see, it looks like Colonel Watts won't be doing anything of the sort right now." Felix nodded. There was still something that was bothering him, but strangely, he couldn't tell what it was. As Barrie wrote some notes while Felix tried to determine what his thoughts on the matter were. Finally, he began, "Sir—" "I'd like you to come with me next time I meet with the UNSC," Barrie said, almost at the same time. "So you get a first-hand experience of what they're like." "Yes, sir." He decided not to say aloud what was on his mind, not just yet. Maybe the Commander already saw it, and knew how to deal with it. Felix stood stock-still off to Barrie's side, and watched as a trio of Marines enter through the door and into the meeting room. Two of them were obviously non-commissioned, and were unarmed, but looked around the room nonetheless. One of them spotted him, and seemed to hold back a snicker. However, the officer standing in the middle was completely serious. The man was a fair-aged soldier. He was thin, not very tall, and his eyes were a cold grey colour. On his shoulders were the insignia of a UNSC Lieutenant Colonel. It had to be Robert Watts. Barrie stepped forward and raised his hand. "Colonel. Welcome to the Sanctuary." "I thank you for inviting me to your...sanctuary," Watts replied, shaking his hand. "Please make this quick. I am very busy at the moment, and it's best the rest of my men don't find out about this meeting." Barrie spoke with the Colonel about the Sanctuary; their relations with the rest of the Insurrection, and vaguely his plans for the future. Watts seemed to be intrigued by the fact that those at the Sanctuary were in good relations with the civilians on Eridanus II. When Watts told him about things in the UNSC and outside in other systems, Felix listened, interested. He wondered why they were exchanging information like this. It was odd, really, two leaders on different sides speaking as if they were travellers sharing their experiences with each other. "But as a rebellion, don't you oppose what we're doing here?" the Lieutenant Colonel asked. "Certainly," Barrie replied. "It's what we believe in, and what we'll stand by till the end. But the riots here are caused by rogues. Eridanus II has always been subject to piracy. We try to achieve our goals through different means, and possibly we can prevent the violence from spreading to the other systems. So, here are my terms—" "Hold on," the Marine officer said, cutting across him. "I want my men to leave the room. And yours." His gaze drifted to Felix for the first time. "I place great trust in Felix," the Commander said. "There is nothing you are to be afraid of." "He's a child," Watts said. "And I don't want word of this spreading through your Sanctuary." Barrie sighed. "Very well." Felix left the room with the two UNSC soldiers, and he closed the door behind them. The Marine that laughed at him paced in circles in the hall, looking bored. But the other one was much younger, and asked, "What's it like, living here?" "Don't talk to the Innie kid," the older one said. The Private ignored him. "Not bad," Felix replied. "I'll bet it's better than the barracks I've heard you guys use." "What do you guys do here, though? Why do you live in the outskirts instead of in the city?" "Commander Barrie thinks Asphodel is too corrupted for the Insurrection." The other Marine gave a snicker. "Bit rich, coming from you guys, isn't it?" "The Insurrection wasn't created to disagree with Imperial Earth's every move," Felix said coolly. "I guess foot soldiers like you wouldn't know something like that, because you're just doing the fighting without understanding the concepts." "You've got a real sharp tongue, kid," the leatherneck snapped, but the former had already turned his attention to the Private. "How do you feel about this conflict? We haven't really gotten into open war, but everyone can see tensions are high." "Well, we just do what we're told," the young soldier mumbled. "We're not supposed to question orders, we just follow them..." "Sounds more restraining than our cause, doesn't it?" "Shut your mouth, half-pint," the older Marine cut in. "I'll bet you don't even know what you're talking about." Felix shot him a glare. To anyone else, it might have seemed odd that he would give a look like that to a tall, muscular soldier, but it wasn't intended as intimidation. He just did it involuntarily, because he didn't like others judging him by his age. Yet the Marine found he couldn't return his glare, and averted his gaze. An awkward moment of silence passed, before the door opened again, and Watts stepped out into the hall. "I thank you for your hospitality," the Lieutenant Colonel was saying. "I believe I will meet you again, and perhaps after we have arranged everything, we may find more...progress." Barrie nodded. "My men will show you back outside." He watched as the guards escorted the Marines and the officer out of the building. "Felix, come in," the Commander said. The former complied, and closed the door behind them again. "Colonel Watts has agreed to help our cause," he said. Felix looked surprised. "He's joining the Insurrection?" "It is possible, although it's highly unlikely. But there are still ways he can assist us in our efforts to keep the Insurrection as a diplomatic faction. He knows it is the best way we can meet our respective ends and put all this disagreement aside." "I hope so, sir." "Indeed. So what did you think of them?" "They're very...disciplined, sir. But the lower-ranked soldiers are like pawns. They don't even know what they're fighting for." Barrie sighed. "That is the difference between the UNSC and us, isn't it? And it's also why I believe we will come out on top in the end, one way or another." |} ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- Category:Stories Category:Against All Odds